


Youth Energy

by linhardt-lovemail (sanitycandy), sanitycandy



Category: Dead by Daylight (Video Game)
Genre: Changing POVs, Gen, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Not Beta Read, POV Multiple, Pre-Canon, Self-Harm, more characters will be added as it goes on lmao
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-18 00:34:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29109399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanitycandy/pseuds/linhardt-lovemail, https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanitycandy/pseuds/sanitycandy
Summary: Frank took deep breaths. He’d been told he’d been sent to another home. Again. Nausea brewed in his head, an urge to scream, to act out again. He was tired of the names. The schools.Everything.No matter what ruckus he created, it was never enough. He buried his face in his hands. He wanted the world to burn. Or maybe just to burn himself, to stop existing at all. He honestly didn’t know what kept him alive. Perhaps it was to cause pain and suffering. Perhaps he had some nagging dull shred of hope in his dying heart. Whatever kept him tethered felt like it was fraying every damn time.---Frank's memories of before the Entity - or, what he suffered.
Kudos: 2





	1. Arcus, Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Fic is named after the song [Nitro (Youth Energy)](https://youtu.be/Z4V0HpfinOs) by The Offspring.  
> Chapter titles will be after who/what they're being viewed through (i.e, chapter 1 is Arcus)  
> TW Self-harm, alcoholism

Frank took deep breaths. He’d been told he’d been sent to another home. Again. Nausea brewed in his head, an urge to scream, to act out again. He was tired of the names. The schools. _Everything._ No matter what ruckus he created, it was never enough. He buried his face in his hands. He wanted the world to burn. Or maybe just to burn himself, to stop existing at all. He honestly didn’t know what kept him alive. Perhaps it was to cause pain and suffering. Perhaps he had some nagging dull shred of hope in his dying heart. Whatever kept him tethered felt like it was fraying every damn time.

It was dark outside as he piled in the truck, headlights on and running. The faint fog of breath and exhaust floated in the air. He looked over at his father. Hell, not really his father. He likened it to ‘the next unlucky person’. A song played on the radio - Black Hole Sun. What he’d heard was he was Clive. Clive Andrews. The man had some scruff on his face, and his face seemed to be resting on a serious note. The man didn’t even offer a smile to the son he adopted. Whatever. Frank did better looking out the window and staying silent as trees passed him by. Not like he hadn’t seen those trees before too many times to count. Everything blurred to him.

-

Frank stepped into the house. Clive finally spoke up. “You start school at Fairview tomorrow. Your room’s upstairs.” All that he did was stare at his captor, clenching his fists. He didn’t even sense the usual ‘love’ behind his words. Bastard. “Whatever. Fine!” He shouted, and took his stuff with him. The truck rattled and Clive was presumably gone.

-

Fairview was the local high school. He hadn’t been to it before. People there didn’t seem to take nice to him, and he didn’t take nice to them, either. Shoved in line. One time he got in a fight in the hallway. “They fucking started it,” he spat. All he got was a suspension. Even if he was kept home, Clive was never there. Frank would just dread his return either way. Smelling of alcohol and bumbling around. He swore that one day he’d get out of his custody, if he just caused enough trouble. That was how it always worked. But nothing seemed to work on HIM. He’d see the cheques come and then immediately go on Clive’s habits. Whatever.

-

As soon as he joined the basketball team, he was off. “You can’t do this!” he yelled, shoving the referee. The whistles blew louder and he was eventually restrained, yelling and kicking. That was the last day he set eyes on Fairview’s campus as a student. He bet Clive wouldn’t even care if he stopped attending. Dropped out. Fuck him, anyway. The drunk bastard. “I’m done with Fairview!” He punched the wall in much pain. Hell, at least he’s _feeling_ something. Tears stung in his eyes as he looked out the window. A knock resounded on his door. He whipped his head around. “What?!” The scream was almost primal. It didn’t open. _I don’t fucking care anyway, ‘dad’,_ his head hissed, thoughts racing. _You **never** cared. _He took to a pocket knife. Something Clive gave him as some gift of love. Flipping it open and looking intently at it, something snapped. “ _Fuck you!_ ” He put the blade to his arm, vision blurring, pain searing through his body - and smiled.

-

The phone would ring for him, but it was always ignored. All that his father had cared about was the money, after all. Frank liked the free time anyway - no schoolwork, no basketball. Time to go around the place. He’d put on his hoodie and fingerless gloves and look down at the sidewalk, seethe at the system that trapped him in his predicament. But one place he always visited was the nearby video store. Small and rough, it was like a diamond among fool’s gold to him. The air was somewhat oppressive, but the soothing sound of the vents, washed-out rock and pencil connecting to paper was like heaven. It was his _real_ home - one of his reprieves from Clive.

“Man, you’re the best,” Frank would smile at the boy behind the counter. His name was Jeff - Jeff Johansen. He would be the one at the counter that serviced him late at night - renting videos, horror, whatever struck his urge at the moment. “I’ll be back soon as always.” Jeff would smile at him, one of the only smiles offered to him as of late. “Take care, will you?” Frank would laugh and nod.


	2. Frank

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I walked to the nearby greasy spoon. So what, it’s not like I have anywhere else to go or eat this early. I go to the video store at night and waltz around all day to wherever I please. Plus, it’s cheap and filling. Better than being in _that_ house. Outside it was bitterly cold, too. I just wanted a damn hot drink. Looking around the place, my eye is caught by long blonde hair - a girl over a sketchbook. I look away as her head moves up to look at the line. Two more people until my order, so I start rummaging for the cash. _An artist in Ormond. How many am I going to run into,_ I chuckle, thinking of Jeff.
> 
> I take my order and hold it in my hands, the warmth soothing me somewhat. I look around for the blonde again and there she is, slaved over the sketchbook still. So I smile and walk over, hoping to strike a conversation.
> 
> -
> 
> Frank meets Julie - not knowing his life would change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers for Soldiers of Mayhem memory 471.

I walked to the nearby greasy spoon. So what, it’s not like I have anywhere else to go or eat this early. I go to the video store at night and waltz around all day to wherever I please. Plus, it’s cheap and filling. Better than being in _that_ house. Outside it was bitterly cold, too. I just wanted a damn hot drink. Looking around the place, my eye is caught by long blonde hair - a girl over a sketchbook. I look away as her head moves up to look at the line. Two more people until my order, so I start rummaging for the cash. _An artist in Ormond. How many am I going to run into,_ I chuckle, thinking of Jeff.

I take my order and hold it in my hands, the warmth soothing me somewhat. I look around for the blonde again and there she is, slaved over the sketchbook still. So I smile and walk over, hoping to strike a conversation.

“So you an artist or something?” I say a bit louder than usual. After all, there are people chatting here. Better to escape the warmth. I see her turn to face me - and by God, she’s stunning. Green eyes to match her hair. My heart skips a beat for a sec, before my mind processes her answer - “Artist? Hardly. I doodle to escape the banality of Ormond.” I look down to her sketch - and boy, I was right. My short hair is right there, in my jacket and all, looking a bit to the side. “That me?”

The girl’s stunned by my question, but she smiles. “Uh, yeah.” She looks away from me, but has a nervous laugh that sends my heart again. Love at first sight? Man, you’re getting soft, Frank, I think to myself. I sit down next to her with my drink, laughing. “I’ll model for ya, you know. We could make a good team, eh?” I put on my best sexy face or whatever. It makes her laugh too - genuine, but she shakes her head.

“You from Ormond?”

“Who’s asking?”

“Julie,” she introduces herself.

“Julie… what a fitting name. Name’s Frank - and no, I’m not from Ormond.”

“I thought so!” She smiles, like a cat who’s got the canary and cream. That damned smile is so pretty to me, I notice I’m smiling back.

“Well, shit, didn’t think we’d get into an actual conversation,” I reply back, before finally deciding to sip the drink. My throat and chest immediately feel like they’re happy in some way. And you know what, this makes me feel happy too. Another smile in months that’s been offered to me, and it’s not from Jeffster at the video shop.

“You know what, if you’re free-”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m definitely free. I got suspended from Fairview.”

“Well, I’m throwing a party at my house tonight,” she flips into another sketchbook page, writing an address. “It’s for my friend, Joey. Joey can't seem to keep a job,” she tells me. And all I can do is laugh. She was erasing something, but she looks up at me.

"Joey sounds... normal. You know how much programming it takes to get a human being to accept the whole eight-hour-a-day routine?" I fire back. “We’re not meant for that.” Julie’s head tilts towards me. “I mean, come on. Do you really learn anything in school? It’s more like brainwashing to me. Sending out fucking droves of robotic adults to serve the corporate machine. If it were real education... If it were true education the core subjects would be philosophy and critical thinking,” I finish.

Julie laughs and nods at me, before going back to the address correcting she was doing, ripping the page and handing it to me. “Here’s the address for the party, Frank. You better be there or I’ll have to kick your ass the next time I see you here.”

I laugh back. “Of course I’ll be there.” I sip my hot chocolate again. T _his has got to be the first time I’ve felt happy in forever,_ I think to myself. Shit, I gotta bring good shit to the party, too!

Eventually I leave the greasy spoon, say my goodbyes to Julie, waddling back out into the cold. A shiver runs down my spine as the air hits me and I inhale it into my lungs. My arms instinctively bundle up as if I was angry at someone as I make my way to an alcohol store. I’ll visit the video store next, bring a slasher or something to the party, maybe. Or a comedy. Or both!

The possibilities are endless, but my mind is already worked up about the party. _Julie and I hit it off pretty well in the greasy spoon._ _What if we both get drunk and have some hot sex?_ I laugh at myself in my head. _No, no, she seems more sensible than that. Besides, I wouldn’t take advantage of a drunk lady like that. Only creeps do._ I’m thinking absentmindedly about how her friends might be when I realise my feet have taken me to the store. I smile and get a few bottles for the party. _This’ll be fun, Frank. It’ll all be so much fun._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in one day, the feminists are taking over!
> 
> Just joking. I wanted to write a Frank POV of Arcus Memory 471 (aka Soldiers of Mayhem's first entry).

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for the short first chapter. I wanted to get my work out there. This isn't finished, but more a side project off of my FE3H works.
> 
> You can follow me on Twitter [@sanitycanD](https://twitter.com/sanitycanD)!!  
> And on [my Tumblr](https://linhardt-lovemail.tumblr.com/).
> 
> Only top-tier Legion Main posting.


End file.
